The incidence of fungal infections and mycoses has increased significantly in the past two decades, mainly due to the growing number of individuals who have reduced immunological function (immuno-compromised patients), such as cancer patients, patients who have undergone organ transplantation, patients with AIDS, patients undergoing hemodialysis, critically ill patients, patients after major surgery, patients with catheters, patients suffering from severe trauma or burns, patients having debilitative metabolic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus, persons whose blood is exposed to environmental microbes such as individuals having indwelling intravenous tubes, and even in some elderly individuals. Fungal infections are often also attributed to the frequent use of cytotoxic and/or antibacterial drugs, which alter the normal bacterial flora. Fungi include moulds, yeasts and higher fungi. All fungi are eukaryotic and have sterols but not peptidoglycan in their cell membrane. They are chemoheterotrophs (requiring organic nutrition) and most are aerobic. Many fungi are also saprophytes (living off dead organic matter) in soil and water and acquire their food by absorption. Characteristically fungi also produce sexual and asexual spores. There are over 100,000 species recognized, with 100 infectious members for humans.
Human fungal infections are uncommon in generally healthy persons, being confined to conditions such as Candidiasis (thrush) and dermatophyte skin infections such as athlete's foot. Nevertheless, yeast and other fungi infections are one of the human ailments which still present a formidable challenge to modern medicine. In an immuno-compromised host, a variety of normally mild or nonpathogenic fungi can cause potentially fatal infections. Furthermore, the relative ease with which human can now travel around the world provides the means for unusual fungal infections to be imported from place to place. Therefore, wild and resistant strains of fungi are considered to be one of the most threatening and frequent cause of death mainly in hospitalized persons and immuno-compromised patients.
The identity of conserved antigens among pathogenic fungi is poorly understood. This is especially true for immunologically significant antigens that may serve as immunogens to vaccinate against infection. There are currently no commercial vaccines against fungi despite the growing problem of fungal infections. A vaccine against pathogenic fungi, especially one that protects against multiple fungal pathogens, would be of enormous clinical benefit, and of commercial interest.
An improved vaccine and a method of vaccination against fungi are needed in the art. Specifically, a vaccine antigenic to multiple fungi, e.g., multiple dimorphic fungi, and a method of using such vaccine are needed in the art.
There is currently no way to identify CD4 T cells in mammalian blood or tissue, and thus to determine an individuals profile of CD4 T cell based immune resistance or susceptibility. Therefore, needed in the art are compositions and methods for evaluating immunization status of a patient by identifying and evaluating CD4 T cells in the patient.